Area Rugs

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Area Rugs

For spreading personality around a room, the area rug has few rivals. What
could be more elegant than an heirloom quality Oriental area rug atop a gleaming
hardwood floor, or more charming than a handcrafted braided area rug on timeworn
pine planks. In myriad styles and prices, versatile area rugs set the mood-and
more.

Beyond beauty, these stage-setters are hardworking area rug design elements.
Area rugs bring softness and warmth to any hard-surface floor, instantly infuse
color and pattern into a space, and make comely cover-ups for soiled or damaged
carpet. Area rugs are great unifiers, sparking entire color schemes. One of the
best decorating strategies is to use area rugs to define specific activity
centers within a room, especially important in large rooms and in today's
flowing, open-plan homes. For example, let one area rug set boundaries for a
conversation area and another area rug outline a dining spot. Area rugs can be
used alone or in conjunction with carpet.

Traditional Area Rugs

Rich in history and hue, jewel-toned Oriental area rugs are the aristocrats
of area rugs and are prized in traditional, formal, and eclectic schemes.
Authentic hand-knotted Oriental area rugs may take years to create, but can wear
well for more than a century. Equally elegant and formal are French area rug
classics, such as Aubusson rugs, Savonnerie rugs, and hand-stitched needlepoint
rugs.

Flat Woven Area Rugs

Popular in contemporary and eclectic room schemes are wool dhurrie area rugs,
produced in India for centuries. Sumptuous colors, stylized motifs, and vivid
geometry characterize these flat-woven area rugs that are durable and
reversible. Kilims are flat woven area rugs with no pile. Persia, Turkey and
Afghanistan offer Kilims in geometric designs, while Besserabian Kilims are
floral area rugs. Other picks include Scandinavian ryas rugs, shaggy Greek
flokatis rugs, and modern area rugs in bold, graphic designs.

Braided and Hooked Area Rugs

Colorful braided area rugs, hooked area rugs, and rag rugs bring, homey,
handcrafted appeal to country-spirited rooms, and antique examples are
increasingly prized by area rug collectors. Many area rug reproductions are made
by traditional methods and reprise historic motifs, and there are contemporary
interpretations in fresh pastels. Another option is the floorcloth, a favorite
of colonial America, with designs from primitive area rugs to formal painted
area rugs on canvas, jute, or other fabric backing. Painted Sisal is a
contemporary area rug inspired by 18th century floorcloths

Antique Area Rugs

If you're shopping- for an authentic area rugs or antique area rug, research
the techniques, materials, and designs of the period and the region of origin,
as well as the area rug's identifying characteristics. For example,
high-quality Oriental area rugs are made of sheep or lamb's wool yarns,
hand-knotted through linen or cotton backing. The more knots per square inch,
the better the quality area rug. A superb Persian area rug may have more than
500 to 1,000 knots per square inch. There are handsome area rug reproductions
made on power looms, and less-costly facsimiles with designs printed on the pile
surface. Antique area rugs, especially Orientals, are always expensive and often
difficult to find. Although good examples turn up at estate sales and auctions,
your best shopping bet is a reputable, established area rug dealer.

You might want to consider an antique area rug from a particular region:

Persian Area Rugs of metropolitan areas differ greatly from those of small
rural villages. Urban area rugs are sophisticated floral designs with fine
knots. Village or tribal area rugs are simpler geometric patterns of a coarse
weave with bold colorations. Some of the major type